8/2/15 card show report: the new guys

The cardboard gods were smiling upon me once again last Sunday during the monthly card show I like to attend.  That was especially true for the Michigan portions of my collection.  Check these out:

Tom Brady 2011 Topps Gold (#204) (#0550/2011)

Chad Henne 2008 Topps Mayo RC

Chad Henne 2008 Topps Mayo Mini Black Backs

I believe each of these was $0.50, and I thought that was very reasonable for a numbered Brady insert.  I also managed to add a new Henne to my rookies collection along with a Mini parallel of that very same card to go with my other inserts.

Mike Gillette 2006 TK Legacy auto

Paul Staroba 2007 TK Legacy auto

Chris Zurbrugg 2007 TK Legacy auto

The real highlights for me came in the form of this trio of TK Legacy M Go Blue autos.  My total from the set moved up to 128 (out of 185) thanks to these three additions to my football PC (194 subjects strong!).  Here's some quick info on each guy since they haven't been featured yet:

• Gillette was a PK and P from 1985-88.  He appeared in 49 games and went 130/133 on PATs and 57/81 on FGs.  Here he is scoring on a beautiful 40-yard fake punt run against MSU in 1988.
• Staroba was a WR (and punter!) from 1968-70.  In 31 career games he caught four TDs (two each in '68 and '70), then was a third-round pick of the Browns in '71.  He appeared in 10 games between 1972-73, catching two passes (one for a TD), rushing once for 11 yards, and punting 12 times for the '73 Packers.
• Zurbrugg was a QB from 1984-86 and saw the bulk of his playing time in '84 when starter Jim Harbaugh went down with a broken arm, but he made appearances in 37 career games over those three seasons.

$3 a pop is a no-brainer for me when it comes to these, plus I always love the history lesson that accompanies them.

Don Lund 2004 TK Legacy Varsity Club auto

Speaking of TK Legacy, here's another fun autograph from that product, specifically the Multisport set from 2004.  As many of you know, I PC Lund, a football star who went on to a brief career in Major League Baseball.  However, that clearly wasn't enough different sports for him, so here he is on a card that makes him the 18th different player in my basketball PC.  That puts him in an exclusive club that I believe is limited to Drew Henson and Bill Freehan as far as my collection goes.  Another $3 well spent!

Chris Tamer 1996-97 Be A Player Autographs Silver auto

With the upcoming NHL season looming, why not a hockey card as well?  I was flipping through a box of $2 hits when this one caught my eye.  "Chris Tamer..." I said to myself.  "His name sounds familiar--didn't Doug send me something of his before?"  YEP!  It took me a while to find the trade post from 2013 and the third package he sent me.  Anyway, I hadn't realized Tamer had any hits so I quickly snapped up this Silver version of his BaP auto from 96-97, and that makes him player #38 in my hockey collection!

Another great show for my PCs, and I'm already looking forward to the next one.

2014 eBay purchase: more fun with Lund

About a month ago I showed off the first four cards I was able to purchase for my Don Lund PC and now I'm back with another I'm even more excited to post:

Don Lund 1953 Topps RC

Finishing off the trio of Don's vintage issues for me is the best of the bunch, his '53 Topps RC.  This beaut is the oldest card of any player in my Michigan Baseball PCs and I'm thrilled to have it, vintage wear and all.  I paid a fairly reasonable $13.50 for this copy which was in good enough shape as far as I was concerned.  I went extra large with the scan today so you could get a good idea of what it looks like, with the typical rounded corners and some creases, plus a few other flaws.  But the collector in me asks "Who cares?" because it's a fun part of history to own.  Just check out that beautiful artwork on a classic Topps design, plus the fierce Tiger logo!

Now that I've knocked this key card off Lund's list I can say I own five of his eight issues.  The remainders might be a bit tough--a Gold parallel of his '94 Topps Archive card (which I haven't found at a reasonable price) and two versions of an autograph from 2003 Heritage, one of which is numbered to 54, and both of which I've never seen for sale.  No problem, I'm up for the challenge.

So here's to another fun eBay pickup, to vintage, and to yet another Wolverine/Tiger double-dipper!

2014 COMC purchases: Dave and Don

After showing off some Steve Boros pickups on Friday I decided to go back to the vintage well today with two more guys:  Dave Campbell and Don Lund.  I introduced both guys in a post a couple months ago, and at that point all I had was Campbell's RC.  Luckily COMC proved to be an excellent source--as always--for adding to my PCs:

Dave Campbell 1970 Topps

As I said, my only previous Campbell card was his '69 Topps RC, but he'd appeared in three seasons for Detroit by then.  The following season he was a member of the Padres by virtue of a trade that brought pitcher Joe Niekro to the Tigers.  Here he is with San Diego on his second-year Topps issue; he wasn't included in that year's OPC set as it didn't include all the Topps high numbers.

Dave Campbell 1971 O-Pee-Chee and Topps

This is the first of three straight pairs of Campbell's OPC/Topps issues I picked up.  Fortunately they were very low numbers (#46) so I didn't have to pay through the nose for expensive high numbers!  The OPC version has a lot of French writing on the back which makes it much easier to distinguish the two.

Dave Campbell 1972 O-Pee-Chee and Topps

Dave's 1972 cards include stats from his 1970-71 campaigns with the Pads, and those were the only two seasons during his career in which he appeared in more than 100 games (154 and 108, respectively).  Don't be shocked, then, that they were his two best seasons.  Once again the OPC version has some French text on the back, plus the very helpful "printed in Canada" notation.

Dave Campbell 1973 O-Pee-Chee and Topps

The Padres are well represented in the Hall of Ugly-Ass Uniforms, and here's one great example courtesy of the 1973 sets.  '73 also turned out to be Dave's final season on the West Coast as he was traded to the Cardinals mid-season.  There's an interesting difference in this pair, by the way:  the cartoon on the back of the Topps' card has text that was drawn while the OPC card clearly used type instead.

Dave Campbell 1974 Topps

St. Louis wasn't Dave's final career stop as just two months after that deal in '73 he was flipped to the Astros for former ROY Tommie Agee, who played the final 26 games of his career with the Cards.  Campbell, meanwhile, got into nine games with the '73 Astros, then 35 more the following season before hanging 'em up.  I don't have the OPC card to go with this Topps version, but that's the last of Dave's run that I don't have!

Make it an exciting 9/10 in Dave's collection with the final piece due to arrive soon! 

Don Lund 1954 Bowman

I'm happy to finally have some cards to show off of Lund, yet ANOTHER Wolverine/Tiger.  While I haven't landed his '53 Topps RC yet--gotta find one that isn't so expensive--I did manage to start things off with this classic '54 Bowman.  It hails from the days of cards being a bit larger than today's standard of 2 1/2 x 3 1/2, and it looks great despite its age.

Don Lund 1954 Topps

Here's the former Michigan football star in his Topps issue from the same year.  I'd take this one over the Bowman since it has more going for it, including that terrifying Tigers logo!  Lund was actually signed as a free agent by Brooklyn in '45, and he was with them until the St. Louis Browns grabbed him off waivers in 1948.  The Tigers purchased him the following year, and he was with them for a few games in '49 and again in '52.  1953 was his best campaign as he appeared in a career-high 131 games, but it was back to normal in '54 with just 35 appearances, and then he retired.

Don Lund 1991 Topps Archives 1953

With two of Lund's three vintage issues secured I went after his modern cards.  First up is this reprint of his '53 RC out of the 1991 Topps Archives set--yep, they made that product that far back!  It's a bit annoying for me that I don't have the actual card to pair it with, yet, but I will as soon as I can.

Don Lund 1994 Topps Archives 1954

Here's another Archives issue from a few years later, and four decades after the original's release.  Obviously I do have the original '54 to go with this one, and the reprint does a pretty good job of capturing the vintage version, but I'd go with the latter and its true cardboard-ness any day!

This was a good start for my Lund collection as I now have four of his eight cards.  Besides the aforementioned RC, I'm lacking a gold parallel of the '94 Archives, then a couple autographs(!) out of 2003 Topps Heritage, and those should be fun to chase.

It was fun having more vintage stuff to show off, but I'll go back to modern cards in my next post to close out this latest purchase.

Announcing three new baseball PCs: Boros, Campbell, and Lund

Stay tuned for a new post from Jeff this evening, but first, I have some personal collecting news related to the blog:  I'm announcing three new baseball PCs!  All three have small enough runs that I'm going to do my version of "supercollecting" them--shooting for 100% of their regular print run and then adding any "others" and 1/1s just for fun.  Here they are:

Steve Boros

Flint native Boros was a Michigan SS from 1956 to 1957, at which point he signed with Detroit as a "bonus baby" (this was before the draft) and left Ann Arbor.  He played parts of seven seasons with the Tigers, Cubs, and Reds before his playing career ended in 1965.  He then pursued a managerial career, earning the gig as Oakland's leader for 1983.  Steve was ahead of his time in using computers to analyze stats for advantages, but was fired after a mediocre start the following year.  The Padres came calling in 1986 after '84 pennant-winning skipper Dick Williams resigned abruptly, but lasted just a season in San Diego.  He later returned to the Tigers in multiple capacities towards the end of his life, and was also inducted into the Wolverines Hall of Honor.  He passed away in 2010.

Boros has 16 cards for me to chase, starting with vintage issues from during his career ('58-'65) plus cards in '83, '84, '86, and '87 covering his managerial years.  I made an executive decision to list his six recent Topps Heritage buybacks as "others" because I don't think they really fit under his standard releases.  I have his '86 Topps Traded and '87 Topps (above), and I'll be looking to add more soon!

Dave Campbell

I first mentioned Campbell about a month ago after I picked up the above card at a show, thinking I'd scored a nice vintage Tigers RC and not realizing it was another Wolverine/Tiger combo!  A native of Manistee, Michigan (way up north on Lake Michigan), the man they nicknamed "Soup"--because obviously--signed with Detroit as a free agent after a successful career with the Wolverines that included Michigan's 1962 NCAA title victory (coached by the guy below!).  He appeared in more than 400 games over parts of eight seasons with the Tigers, Padres, Cardinals, and Astros and was involved in trades for two notable players:  Joe Niekro and Tommie Agee.  Campbell has since done quite a bit of color commentating (and video game work!) for several teams.

My collection for him currently consists solely of his '69 Topps RC above, but I look forward to tracking down his nine other vintage cards when I can.

From COMC

Don Lund

You may remember Lund from...yesterday's post.  You're forgiven if you already forgot about that, though, since he appeared as a football player in the TK Legacy M Go Blue autograph set.  As I noted in the post, Lund opted for a baseball career instead, and he played parts of seven seasons with Brooklyn, St. Louis (Browns), and the Tigers (hey, another one!).  After his Major League career ended, Don helmed the Michigan Baseball team for their 1962 National Championship, and also coached for the Tigers.  He's in the Wolverines Hall of Honor as well, and the article I linked above about him in Campbell's words is a good read about the impact he had on others.

His checklist comes in at just eight cards, though it could prove to be a tough group to acquire:  the '53 and '54 Topps plus '54 Bowman might not be cheap, and then he has a pair of autographs (one numbered to 54) in 2003 Heritage.  I'm totally starting from scratch here, but I think it'll be fun chasing another Michigan Football star that opted for baseball, not to mention another Wolverine/Tiger double-dipper!

I'm planning on putting in some work on COMC for these guys soon, but as always if you have anything I'm looking for, please give me a shout!

2014 eBay purchases: Go Blue or go home, part 1

Can you guys believe it?  Just two weeks until MICHIGAN FOOTBALL!

As promised, here's the start of a series of posts covering my much-teased big-time super-duper exciting eBay purchase from early July.  It's significant not just because it set me back more than $200 (my usual monthly quota) and comprised about 84% of my spending last month, but also because of how much of a boon it will be to my collection.

Over the course of this blog I've made small and large purchases (and trades) in slowly piecing together the 185 (or so) autographs in the TK Legacy M Go Blue set.  I won't rehash those for you, but today I'm here to tell you that I added another 45(!) of those for $5 apiece, or $225, which is math even I can do!  Many of the guys in the lot will be new to the football PC, which is very exciting, and better yet, this huge chunk of cards takes me a quantum leap forward in building the set.  And better BETTER yet, some of these guys are legit stars.

I'm planning on five posts each showing off nine cars.  Eschewing my usual true alphabetical sorting (by last name), I'm displaying these in order by their card numbers, which generally correspond chronologically to when each series was released (with a few exceptions).  I hope this series interests some of you whether you're fellow Wolverine fans, set-builders, autograph fiends, or simply history buffs--one of the best side-effects of collecting this set is learning about players from way, way back!

With all that said, here's today's nine:

Reggie McKenzie 2002 TK Legacy auto

Reggie was a standout G from 1969-71 and was a first-team All-American during his senior season.  The Bills took him with the first pick of the second round the following year, and he played with them for 10 seasons plus another two with the Seahawks before hanging 'em up.  McKenzie was a teammate of pre-murder trial (and Naked Weapon) O.J. Simpson and apparently did a very nice job blocking for him considering the results!  He didn't make it to Canton but can be found in College Football's Hall of Fame.  This is my first hit of his, though he does have others I'm hoping to add eventually.

Don Lund 2002 TK Legacy auto

Lund was one of those multi-sport athletes that were more common in days past.  The Wolverine RB was a first-round pick (7th overall, two selections after teammate Crazylegs Hirsch) of the Bears in '45, but he chose the diamond over the gridiron and signed with Brooklyn instead.  Over seven Major League seasons Lund also played part of one year with the St. Louis Browns before finishing his career with the Tigers.  After his playing career ended he went on to coach his alma mater's baseball team to the 1962 NCAA title, the team's second and most recent championship in the sport.  Don does have a 2003 Heritage auto I may chase, but this is my first hit of him otherwise.

Rob Lytle 2002 TK Legacy auto

Lytle was a star RB for Michigan from 1973-76.  He's among the school's all-time leading rushers with 3330 yards, 1469 of which he piled up during his senior season to go with 14 TDs as the third-place finisher in Heisman voting.  Denver took him in the second round in '77 and the Broncos were his only NFL team until he retired after '83.  During Super Bowl XII, a loss to Dallas, Rob scored the Broncs' only TD, becoming the first player to achieve that feat to go with a score in a Rose Bowl as well.  Sadly he died of a heart attack in 2010 at the age of 56.  Still, he's remember among Michigan's legends at his position.  This is my first pickup of Lytle.

Jim Mandich 2002 TK Legacy auto

Mandich was a Michigan TE from 1967-69, meaning he was part of legendary coach Bo Schembechler's first team.  A first-team All-American in '69, the Dolphins made him the third pick of the second round the following year, and he went on to play for them through the '77 campaign, winning rings with the '72 and '73 teams.  His final NFL season came with the '78 Steelers, with whom he won a third ring thanks to Super Bowl XIII.  His playing career over, he was a radio personality for his original team for several years.  Cancer claimed his life too soon in 2011, but the College Hall of Famer was well-loved by college and professional fans alike.  As with just about everyone else here, this is my first hit of him.

Don Dufek 2002 TK Legacy auto

One of several Michigan football Dufeks, Don Jr. played safety for the Wolverines from 1973-75.  His brother Bill played in Ann Arbor from '74-'78 while his dad Don Sr. was a star in the early '50s.  Don Jr. was a fifth-round pick by Seattle in 1976 and did well enough to play his entire career with that team until his career ended in '84.  Oh yeah, he was a pretty good hockey player too, lettering all four years despite playing shortened seasons due to, you know, being on the football team too.  The Wings took him in the NHL draft, and he was also selected in the WHA version, but opted for football due to wanting to hit the pros immediately.  Michigan football family guys are always welcome to the collection!

Ron Kramer 2002 TK Legacy auto

Kramer is one of Michigan's most well-known players from the 1950s, starring at "end" (or TE) (plus basketball and track!) from 1954-56.  His #87 jersey was retired, then recently opened back up as part of the Wolverines' Legends Jersey series (not-a-TE Devin Funchess has it right now).  He backed up his college honors by being selected 4th overall in 1957 by the Packers in a loaded first round, ahead of HOFers Len Dawson and Jim Brown, among others.  After being part of Green Bay's 1961 and '62 championship squads, Kramer closed out his career with the Lions, and was honored by multiple halls of fame, including those belonging to the Packers and College Football.  He passed away in 2010, but his Legends Jersey and legendary performances assure he'll be remembered in the future.  Welcome to the collection, Ron!

Bump Elliott (Player) 2002 TK Legacy auto

Good ol' Bump!  Chalmers (Super Nintendo Chalmers?) Elliott was both a player and coach for the Maize and Blue, and he's appeared on this blog once already since I picked up a '47 National Champs auto of him, again as a player.  I'll track down the coach version of his signature as well eventually.

Alvin Wistert 2002 TK Legacy auto

Alvin Wistert is not to be confused with brother Francis (a.k.a. "Whitey"), and especially not to be confused with other brother Albert (a.k.a. "Ox), who's seen in this post.  Alvin was an OT first for Boston U. at the age of 30(!) before heading to Ann Arbor for the eventful 1947-49 seasons, which included a pair of titles.  All three of the Wistert brothers wore #11 during their careers, and the number was retired before becoming another Legends Jersey, like Kramer's.  Another College Football Hall-of-Famer, Wistert never went pro, but was in insurance for many years.  He passed away at the ripe old age of 89 in 2005, but his connection with his Wolverine brothers and two championship teams earned him a special place in Michigan lore.

Tai Streets 2002 TK Legacy auto

I know just about anybody that follows along with this blog knows former WR Streets, the guy who caught a pair of TDs in Michigan's title-winning Rose Bowl victory during the '97-'98 season.  He should also be familiar to you guys because this is my fifth hit of Tai.

That's all for today's history lesson, but it was a very productive one featuring a bunch of newbies and nine more cards towards the M Go Blue set--88 cards and growing!  Don't forget to follow along as I add to the checklist here and show off new cards in the album devoted to the set.  Watch for the next post in this series soon!